Page 47 of Rejected By My Shadow Alpha
"I know Liora is mine," he said quietly, his tone firm yet unaccusing.
The world tipped beneath me. "What?" I breathed. Who told him, I wondered, my heartbeat increasing.
"I know she's my daughter, Ruby."
Panic clawed at my throat. "Who told you? Who the hell told you that? Nia?"
"No," he cut in. "She didn't, but I felt it in my bones and in my blood. A part of me knew that she was mine. There was no mistaking it. The bond I felt with her was different. It lit up everything inside me, and I wasn't the only one who knew."
My heart dropped, and I felt fear settle in my gut. "What do you mean?"
"Someone in my pack knew before I did. They cast that blood curse."
I said nothing. His words only confirmed my suspicion all along, yet Drew saying it made me realize how deep the war between our packs could go to bring us down. "Do you know who did this?" My voice shook.
Drew shook his head. "No," he sighed. "I don't know the person behind this, but I know they used a blood curse. Maybe to kill her as some form of vengeance."
I folded my arms, and a tremor of fear ran through me. "I felt it that day…the day she was attacked. A dark presence was in her room, something vile and evil."
"She's in danger from both sides, Ruby," he said, his voice low and tight with conviction. "Your father is still looking for you. If he finds her, he won't hesitate to hurt her, and someone in my pack wants her dead. That wolf wasn't just sick. It was sent. You really think I can walk away now, knowing that?"
I had no words to argue, only silence. A part of me acknowledged he was right, but it was not as simple as Drew made it sound. What we were facing was deadly and dark, and I would not put Liora in harm's way again. The silence between us was thick, pulsing with everything left unsaid.
"Ruby," he said softly. "Can I ask you something? Why did you leave New York and Westbrow? You were so passionate about your job. I never expected you would move to this part of the world."
I turned to him, my heart pounding. His eyes weren't accusing, just searching, haunted by a need to understand. I met his eyes.
"My father found out I was pregnant. When he realized I was carrying your child, he demanded that I terminate the pregnancy. He said no child from the ashes of Lunaris should be born into his world."
Drew's breath left him in a jagged gasp. His face contorted, pain, guilt, and rage all tumbling through him in waves. Thewords seemed to freeze the air. He crossed to me slowly, cupping my face with both hands.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered, his voice raw. "I didn't know. If I had known, Ruby, I swear, I never would've…" He cradled me in his arms, and I closed my eyes, strangely comforted by the solid hardness of his chest.
"I won't let you lose anything else," he said fiercely. "Never again, not with me here. I'm not walking away. I'm not abandoning you again."
Something in his voice and the protectiveness in his eyes moved me, but it wasn't enough to erase the fear. I moved away from his embrace and stilled my mind not to give in, hardening myself. In the past, I would have considered going with him anywhere, but not with Liora. I wouldn't put her in danger because of what I felt for Drew. I had to protect my child from this hate and danger between our families.
"No," I said, my voice cold. "You are part of the reason we're being hunted, Drew, from the very beginning. Now someone in your pack wants my daughter dead, and don't pretend you didn't know." I added, my tone accusing.
Drew blinked, shocked. "You really think I'd do that?" His voice rose. "You think I'd harm my own child?"
My heart faltered. It couldn't have been him, but I shrugged, my tone careless. "You marked me and left me bleeding. You knew what that bond meant, and you tore it apart like it was nothing. So yes, Drew, forgive me if I don't rush to trust you."
He sighed in frustration, his jaw set. He seemed to be fighting hard to stay calm. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice hoarse, "for everything, for hurting you, for letting my rage blind me. I can't undo it, but I am trying. Let me prove it. Let me try to be the man you and Liora deserve. Ruby, I am sorry I hurt you. It was the hardest thing I ever did, and I have regretted it every day. If I could turn back time, I would never hurt you like I did."
Tears shimmered in my eyes, but I blinked them away. "Too late, Drew," I murmured. "You don't get to come back and rewrite the past. Please leave and take your promises with you. I won't have Liora caught in your wars or my father's vendetta. We're leaving."
"You don't mean that," he rasped.
"I do," I said. "This thing between us can't work. I will protect my child. Even from you."
There was a long silence. Drew stood there, his breath shallow and eyes dark with grief and rage. Then, without a word, he turned, picked up his clothes, and dressed swiftly. Before leaving, he paused at the door and stared at me, eyes pleading. I looked away, my wolf whimpering and begging me to go to him.
And then he was gone.
The silence that followed was colder than anything I'd ever known.
Chapter 21
